Archaeometrical study of Celtic ceramics from Monte Bibele (Bologna, Italy)

The ceramic samples, presented in this work, come from the archaeological excavation in Pianella di Monte Savino, territory of Monte Bibele, near Bologna. Here a Celtic-Etruscan village was active during IV–III century BC. Even though the areal extent of this village is 7000 m2, no traces of furnaces have been found, only ruins of houses and streets. By considering that, it appeared important to characterise the pottery finds in order to recover information regarding the provenance of the artefacts and the technological processes that were used for their production. Twenty-three ceramic samples (in the majority open shapes) previously distinguished into two macroscopic groups have been selected for archaeometrical characterisation. In particular, one group includes ceramics with red paste and black surface, and another one ceramics with grey paste. According to the archaeological literature, the fragments belong to the ceramic category of the so-called “buccheroide” or “bucchero padano”. All the ceramics present a very fine paste, but the presence or absence of argillaceous minerals in the phase composition indicates various firing temperatures. As regards the provenance, compared with local clays the chemical composition supports a local origin of these ceramics produced using a non calcareous clay from the so called “red beds” or “variegated clays”, of Oligocene–Miocene age, outcropping nearby the archaeological site of Monte Bibele. At least two firing technologies were used in order to obtain artefacts for several uses or satisfying different aesthetical requirements.